Boeing Now Serves in China

BEIJING TheStreet) -- Boeing ( BA) moved Tuesday to further establish its China presence, saying it has opened a new service center in Beijing.

The Boeing China Service Center will be staffed by pilots and experts in flight operations, spare parts and maintenance engineering, and will strengthen Boeing's case in competition with emerging Chinese aircraft makers.

Currently, more than 800 Boeing aircraft are in service in China.

"We are bringing Boeing's world-class airplane services and support closer to our China customers, providing them a competitive edge in their markets," said Lou Mancini, senior vice president of Boeing commercial aviation services, in a prepared statement.

Boeing estimates that demand for air travel in China will grow at an annual rate of 7.6% during the next 20 years, creating the need for more than 5,000 new airplanes by 2030 as well as for hundreds of thousands of new pilots and aircraft technicians.